How much will it cost? Calculate your home loan repayments

I took Tigerair’s first Canberra flight and it ran late

But we did get a free soft toy and some water cannon action.

Hello, I'm Angus, and I'm a travel tragic. As soon as Tigerair announced that it was adding a new city to its network with Melbourne-to-Canberra flights, I decided that I needed to book on the very first service.

I even got lucky and managed to nab one of the first 200 seats, which meant the flight was free. Just as well, though; since I live in neither city, I was going to need to book two other flights just to get to Melbourne and to get home afterwards. Clearly, I have a problem. But here's how the flight went.

Firstly, Tigerair lucked out by launching the service on a day with rubbish weather. Air traffic control was delaying and cancelling flights left, right and centre. So at 5:35pm, when TT667 was supposed to be taking off, we were all still standing in an endlessly lengthy messy queue, waiting to get on board.

When we eventually departed, we were 30 minutes late. This is slightly unusual; Tigerair has a better record for on-time departures than its budget rival Jetstar. That said, 1 in 5 flights ends up departing late, and we were one of those flights. Weather is not something airlines can control.

The length of the queue was testament to the fact that people will happily buy cheap seats; I couldn't see a single vacant seat anywhere once we boarded. Less happily, carry-on baggage rules were being fully enforced, with passengers having their bags weighed and being sent off to pay up to have them checked if they exceeded the limits. That's an expensive proposition at $75 a pop, and it's about to become even more expensive when fares are raised later this month.

It wasn't until everyone had boarded that anyone acknowledged this was an unusual flight. The captain announced that since it was the first flight for Tigerair into Canberra, we'd receive the "customary water cannon greeting" and every passenger would get free gifts from Visit Canberra. But once that was announced, it was just like any other Tigerair flight (and I've taken quite a few this year, because who is going to turn down $9 fares?)

That meant it was not much like most flights to Canberra. Business people and public servants are the main passengers visiting our capital, and they're already well served. As I noted when Tigerair announced this service, if you want to fly from Melbourne to Canberra with a major airline, you could have chosen from 13 flights with Qantas and 7 with Virgin on the day Tigerair launched. You'd definitely pay more, but you'd have a lot more choices (and free food and drink, including wine).

The impact of the water cannon was dulled a little by the fact that it was raining. And the impact of the staff handing out free soft toys (tigers, natch) was dulled by the fact that everyone was more concerned from getting into the terminal as quickly as possible because of the rain. All in all, though, I imagine Tigerair will do OK on this route for the time being. Just remember the golden rule: don't try and cheat the luggage regulations.

Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears Monday through Friday on finder.com.au.

Ask an Expert

Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank
details) as your question will be made public

finder.com.au is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or
product provider

We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations

Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions
below to see if yours has already been asked

Your Question

Subscribe to the Finder newsletter for the latest money tips and tricks

Notify me via email when there is a reply

Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, read the PDS or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer -
Hive Empire Pty Ltd (trading as finder.com.au, ABN: 18 118 785 121) provides factual information, general advice and services on financial products as a Corporate Authorised Representative (432664) of Advice Evolution Pty Ltd AFSL 342880. Please refer to our FSG - Financial Products. We also provide general advice on credit products under our own Credit Licence ACL 385509. Please refer to our Credit Guide for more information. We can also provide you with general advice and factual information on about a range of other products, services and providers. We are also a Corporate Authorised Representative of Countrywide Tolstrup Financial Services Group Pty Ltd. ABN 51 586 953 292 AFSL 244436 for the provision of general insurance products. Please refer to our FSG - General Insurance. We hope that the information and general advice we can provide will help you make a more informed decision. We are not owned by any Bank or Insurer and we are not a product issuer or a credit provider. Although we cover a wide range of products, providers and services we don't cover every product, provider or service available in the market so there may be other options available to you. We also don't recommend specific products, services or providers. If you decide to apply for a product or service through our website you will be dealing directly with the provider of that product or service and not with us.
We endeavour to ensure that the information on this site is current and accurate but you should confirm any information with the product or service provider and read the information they can provide. If you are unsure you should get independent advice before you apply for any product or commit to any plan. (c) 2017.

Important information about this website

finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We compare from a wide set of major banks, insurers and product issuers.

finder.com.au has access to track details from the product issuers listed on our sites. Although we provide information on the products offered by a wide range of issuers, we don't cover every available product. You should consider whether the products featured on our site are appropriate for your needs and seek independent advice if you have any questions.

The identification of a group of products, as 'Top' or 'Best' is a reflection of user preferences based on current website data. On a regular basis, analytics drive the creation of a list of popular products. Where these products are grouped, they appear in no particular order.

Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment.

We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.

Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labelling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.

Providing or obtaining an estimated insurance quote through us does not guarantee you can get the insurance. Acceptance by insurance companies is based on things like occupation, health and lifestyle. By providing you with the ability to apply for a credit card or loan we are not guaranteeing that your application will be approved. Your application for credit products is subject to the Provider's terms and conditions as well as their application and lending criteria.

Please read our website terms of use for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.